Toothbrush



April 11, 1961 c. c. GRACIAN TOQTHBRUSH 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 29, 1958 INVENTOR {ke s fenamxv ATTORNEYS C. C. GRACIAN TOOTHBRUSH April 11,1961

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 29, 1958 United States TOOTHBRUSH Carlos Coy Gracian, Rosa Les 2, Apt. 1, Mexico City, Mexico Filed Apr. 29, 1958, Ser. No. 731,647

1 Claim. (Cl. 15-167) ineffective since the toothbrushes available can not be used in the manner required for complete oral hygiene.

The best method of cleaning the teeth requires a brushing movement along the longitudinal axis of the teeth with a sweeping action which starts at the gums and finishes at the tooth ends and inside the dental arches from the alveolar portion to the cuspids of the teeth.

Since the conventional toothbrushes were designed with other teeth cleaning methods in mind, they are not effective in cleaning teeth in the more elficient manner described above.

In toothbrushes of conventional design, the relationship of the bristle head to the neck and handle is such that use of the brush around the linguopalatin sections or regions of the mouth is impeded. It has also been found that in the usual brushes the shape of the bristles and length of the bristle head do not permit the bristle ends to reach the interdental portions of the mouth.

The instant invention provides a toothbrush constructed to permit the complete cleaning of the mouth and teeth in an efiicient effective manner.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a toothbrush shaped to permit efiicient effective teeth cleaning, while permitting the construction of the brush on conventional toothbrush manufacturing machines.

Anotherobject of the invention is to provide a toothbrush of the class describedabove which is efiective in all of the zones of the gingivodental arches.

A further object of the invention is to provide a toothbrush with which the gums may be cleaned and massaged without damaging the tissues of the gum.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the following specification when considered in the light of the attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the invention, showing the grip of the hand thereon in dotted line.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of a modified form of the invention.-

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of a portion of the structure of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of still another modified form of the invention.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of still another modified form of the invention.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view partially broken away of the modification illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse section taken along the line 7-7 of Figure 8, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of the brush illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 9 is a side elevation of still another modified form of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures, the reference character T indicates generally a toothbrush constructed in accordance with the invention.

The toothbrush T includes a handle 10 which is shaped to conform to the hand of the user so that when using the toothbrush Tin its different positions for the inside or outside portions of the dental arches, the hand is not forced into unnatural positions. The handle 10 is ar cuate in form and at its end 11 is provided with an oppositely curving neck 12 shaped to comfortably receive the thumb pad of the thumb of the user. The neck 12 at the end 13 thereof is provided with an integral generally flat straight head 14 provided for supporting a plurality of bristle groups 15.

It should be understood that the handle 10,neck 12, and head 14 may be molded in one piece from desirable plastic material, or they may be individually formed and secured together by conventionalmeans. V

The bristle groups 15 are provided for brushing the teeth and are individually anchored in the head 14 by conventional means. The bristle groups 15 vary in length to form a brushing zone 16 which is inclined longitudinally from the outer end of the head 14 to the inner end thereof secured to the neck 12. The longitudinal incline of the brushing zone 16 diverges outwardly from the head 14 toward the outer end thereof opposite the neck 12. g

The brushing zone 16 of the toothbrush T is provided with a plurality of transversely extending arcuately curved indentations 17 formed in the terminal ends of the bristle groups 15. The brushing zone 16 is further provided with a pair of longitudinally extending arcuately curved indentations 18, as best seen in Figure 7.

The transversely extending curved indentations 17 and v the longitudinally extending curved indentations 18 delineate a plurality of projecting ends 19 which will reach the interdental spaces to completely clean all portions of the teeth.

In Figure 2 a modified form of the invention is illustrated wherein the toothbrush A has an arcuate neck 12a and a head 14a identical to those of the toothbrush T, and the head 14a is provided with a plurality of bristle groups 15a. The bristle groups 15a have transversely extending arcuate indentations 17a with the bristle groups 15a terminating in a plurality of projecting ends 19a forming a brushing zone 16a which is diverging outwardly from the head 14a toward the neck 12a.

A toothbrush C is illustrated in Figure 4, and is provided with a neck 12c which curves oppositely of the neck 12 and supports a head 14c integrally thereon. Brush groups are supported on the head 14c and terminate in projecting ends 190 forming a brushing zone which converges with respect to the head 140 at the end thereof opposite the neck 12c.

In Figure 5 a toothbrush D is illustrated having a neck 12d curving oppositely of the neck 12 and supporting integrally thereon a head 14d. Brush groups 15d are mounted on the head 14d and arranged with their projecting ends 194 terminating in a brushing zone 16d which converges with respect to the head 14d at the end thereof carried by the neck 12d. 7

A still further modified form of toothbrush E is illustratedin Figure 9 wherein a handle 10:: has a neck 12s at one end and a neck12f at the other end with the necks "the neck 12a.

. 3 a 122, 12 curving oppositely of the curved handle a. A head 14a is integrally attached to the neck 12 and carn'es a plurality of brush groups 152 thereon which terminate in projecting ends 19e'f0rming .a brushing zone converges with respect to the head 14 at the end thereof opposite the neck 12 It should be noted that the brush groups 15:: project outwardly from the head He, while the brush groups 15 project inwardly from the head 14f, as shown in Figure 9, so that the compound toothbrush E may be used for reaching both the internal and external dental arches.

Of the several modifications illustrated, the toothbrush T and toothbrush A are intended particularly for use on the internal dental arches, while the toothbrushes'C and D are intended for use on the external dental arches providing means whereby all of the interstices between the teeth may be reached with a sweeping motion to com- .pletely and effectively clean the teeth.

Having thus described the preferred embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that numerous structural modifications and adaptations, may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A toothbrush comprising a handle and an oblong flat head integrally connected to said handle through an intermediate neck portion, said neck portion being sharply curved from the plane of said head, and said handle extending generally lengthwise the handle but being curved less sharply than and in reverse direction to said neck and terminating out of the plane of said head sufficiently that ones fingers gripping said handle will be outside the plane of said head, a plurality of rows of bristle tufts secured to said head, the tufts of the several rows decreasing in length from one end of said head toward the other, and defining a substantially continuous bn'stle surface, said surface being formed with a plurality of arcuate tooth receiving grooves extending transverse said surface and a plurality of smaller arcuate grooves extending lengthwise said surface, the crossing of said grooves defining a multiplicity of spaced bristle peaks of progressively varying height arranged in straight lines extending lengthwise said head.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 7 1,059,426 Barnes Apr. 22, 1913 1,476,579 Barnes Dec. 4, 1923 1,500,722 Roush July 8, 1924 2,117,174 Jones May 10, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS 471,387 Great Britain Sept.3, 1937 574,577 France Apr. 2, 1924 

